Controversy over Facebook comment alleging juror misconduct in Trump trial
By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Jake Maslo (Video Editor)
The recent conclusion of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York has not quelled the surrounding controversy. The latest stir involves a Facebook comment claiming that a juror’s cousin had prior knowledge of Trump’s guilty verdict. Now, that comment’s credibility is in question after the Facebook user who allegedly penned the comment claims it was all a joke.
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this dataBias Distribution
Left
Judge In Trump Hush Money Case Sends Cryptic Letter About Facebook Comment
Click to see story on HuffPostJudge in Trump criminal case notifies parties of online comment claiming juror knowledge
Click to see story on Raw StoryJudge in Trump Trial Flags Trollish Facebook Post About a ‘Juror’
Click to see story on The Daily BeastPossible Facebook troll claims early knowledge of Trump conviction
Click to see story on SalonJudge flags Facebook post claiming inside access to Trump verdict
Click to see story on BBC NewsTrump judge alerts lawyers to Facebook post claiming guilty verdict was coming
Click to see story on The IndependentJudge in trump case notifies lawyers about social media post claiming knowledge of jury verdict
Click to see story on USA TodayDonald Trump’s hush money trial judge flags a Facebook post alleging juror predicted guilty verdict before sentencing
Click to see story on Hindustan TimesJudge in Trump hush money trial flags Facebook post claiming juror spoke about case
Click to see story on abc NewsJudge who oversaw Trump hush money trial flags post on the court’s webpage claiming to know the verdict before it came down
Click to see story on CNNFacebook post draws attention of judge in Trump’s New York case
Click to see story on The Washington PostTrump’s hush-money judge alerted lawyers about a Facebook comment claiming Trump would be convicted 24 hours before it happened. The commenter describes himself as a ‘professional s—poster.’
Click to see story on Business InsiderJudge in Trump’s hush money case raises questions about social media post appearing to preview jury verdict
Click to see story on NBC NewsJudge in Trump’s hush money trial flags Facebook post that claimed insight into jury deliberations
Click to see story on PoliticoJudge who oversaw Trump hush money trial flags post on the court’s webpage claiming to know the verdict before it came down
Click to see story on KRDOJudge who oversaw Trump hush money trial flags post on the court’s webpage claiming to know the verdict before it came down
Click to see story on KIFITrump hush money judge flags Facebook user claiming early knowledge of verdict
Click to see story on The HillTrump Lawyer Notified About Concerning Facebook Post That Claimed Prior Knowledge Of Hush-Money Verdict
Click to see story on BenzingaJudge in Trump hush money trial flags post claiming to preview guilty verdict
Click to see story on UPIJudge alerts Trump lawyers to Facebook comment on conviction from ‘juror’s cousin’
Click to see story on The Center SquareHush money judge alerts Trump lawyer, prosecutors to Facebook post claiming prior knowledge of jury’s verdict
Click to see story on New York PostJudge alerts prosecutors and Trump to juror’s claimed ‘cousin’ who posted verdict
Click to see story on Washington ExaminerTrump judge flags Facebook post suggesting possible mistrial
Click to see story on Russia Today [🇷🇺-affiliated]Judge alerts Trump lawyers to Facebook comment on conviction from ‘juror’s cousin’
Click to see story on The Daily HeraldJudge Merchan Flags Online Post Claiming Inappropriate Jury Discussion of Trump Hush-Money Trial
Click to see story on National ReviewJudge Merchan says Facebook commenter posted, ‘My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted’
Click to see story on The BlazeSuspicious Facebook Comment Roils Trump Hush-Money Case
Click to see story on The New York SunSocial media post claims Trump juror discussed guilty verdict before it was delivered
Click to see story on Fox NewsJudge Merchan Notifies Trump Attorneys, Prosecution of Social Media Post Giving Away Jury Verdict
Click to see story on BreitbartRight
Untracked Bias
New York Judge in Trump Trial Notifies Defense Juror Discussed Guilty Verdict With Family Ahead of Time – Space Coast Daily
Click to see story on Space Coast DailyHush Money Judge In Trump Trial Alerts Prosecutors & Trump Lawyer Of Facebook User Revealing Jury’s Verdict – uInterview
Click to see story on uInterviewJudge in the Trump case in New York noted comment on Facebook about leaked verdict – La Opinion
Click to see story on La OpinionJudge Alerts Trump Lawyers and Prosecutors About Leaked Jury Verdict on Social Media
Click to see story on truthvoices.comThe controversy began with a letter from Judge Juan Merchan, acknowledging a contentious comment posted on the Unified Court System’s public Facebook page.
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“My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted,” the comment, made by a user identified as Michael Anderson, said. “Thank you folks for all your hard work!!!”
Merchan’s letter, dated Friday, June 7, confirmed the existence of the comment but did not verify its content. The comment, reportedly a week old, appeared before the jury’s conviction of Trump and has since been deleted.
While Anderson claimed to be related to a juror, he later described the comment as a joke designed to provoke a strong reaction with minimal effort. This response, shared widely on social media, urged people to “take it easy.”
The reaction to the comment was swift and significant. Several Republicans, including Trump, called for a mistrial based on the potential juror misconduct implied by the comment. However, legal analysts have suggested that there is a “relatively small chance” that the comment reflects any true inside information.
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Court officials told The Washington Post that they have a duty to inform all parties of such online content, regardless of its credibility. This protocol aims to ensure transparency and maintain the integrity of the judicial process.
[KARAH RUCKER]
WHILE THE NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL OF DONALD TRUMP IS OVER –
THE CONTROVERSY ISN’T.
THE LATEST REVOLVES AROUND A FACEBOOK USER WHO CLAIMED TO BE THE COUSIN OF A JUROR WHO HAD ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF TRUMP’S GUILTY VERDICT.
IS HE ACTUALLY THE COUSIN OF A JUROR?
OR AN INTERNET TROLL?
IS IT A SERIOUS IMPLICATION THAT COULD RESULT IN A MISTRIAL?
OR WAS IT ALL JUST A BAD JOKE AND NOT EVEN REAL?
HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW.
IT’S THIS LETTER FROM JUDGE JUAN MERCHAN THAT SPARKED THE LATEST BUZZ.
IN IT –
THE JUDGE ACKNOWLEDGES THE AUTHENTICITY OF A CONTROVERSIAL FACEBOOK COMMENT.
THE LETTER IS FROM FRIDAY AND READS
“TODAY THE COURT BECAME AWARE OF A COMMENT THAT WAS POSTED ON THE UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM’S PUBLIC FACEBOOK PAGE AND WHICH I NOW BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION.”
THIS IS A SCREENSHOT SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA SAID TO BE THE ORIGINAL COMMENT – WHICH MATCHES VERBATIM THE COMMENT IN THE JUDGE’S LETTER.
THE USER – IDENTIFIED AS “MICHAEL ANDERSON” – STATES:
MY COUSIN IS A JUROR AND SAYS TRUMP IS GETTING CONVICTED. THANK YOU FOLKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK!!!”
THE JUDGE SAYS THE COMMENT WAS A WEEK OLD –
WHICH MEANS IT CAME **BEFORE THE JURY CONVICTED TRUMP.
THE COMMENT HAS SINCE BEEN DELETED.
WHILE THE LETTER FROM THE JUDGE CONFIRMS THE COMMENT EXISTED –
IT DOES **NOT CONFIRM THE CONTENT OF THE COMMENT.
WHILE THE PERSON WHO POSTED IT CLAIMED TO BE RELATED TO A JUROR –
ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE REPORTS – THE SAME PERSON LATER POSTED IT WAS ALL A JOKE.
THIS SCREENSHOT IS SAID TO BE MICHAEL ANDERSON’S RESPONSE TO THE UPROAR.
TELLING PEOPLE TO “TAKE IT EASY.”
AND DESCRIBED HIS COMMENT AS “INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED TO DERAIL DISCUSSIONS OR CAUSE THE BIGGEST REACTION WITH THE LEAST EFFORT.”
THE REACTION –
WAS BIG.
SEVERAL REPUBLICANS INCLUDING TRUMP HIMSELF –
CALLED FOR A MISTRIAL OVER THE COMMENT –
WHILE SOME LEGAL ANALYSTS SAY THERE IS A “RELATIVELY SMALL CHANCE” THE COMMENT HAS ANY TRUTH TO IT.
COURT OFFICIALS TOLD THE WASHINGTON POST THE COURT HAS A DUTY TO INFORM ALL PARTIES OF SUCH ONLINE CONTENT.
EVEN IF THE CREDIBILITY OF THE COMMENT’S CLAIM IS IN QUESTION.
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this dataBias Distribution
Left
Judge In Trump Hush Money Case Sends Cryptic Letter About Facebook Comment
Click to see story on HuffPostJudge in Trump criminal case notifies parties of online comment claiming juror knowledge
Click to see story on Raw StoryJudge in Trump Trial Flags Trollish Facebook Post About a ‘Juror’
Click to see story on The Daily BeastPossible Facebook troll claims early knowledge of Trump conviction
Click to see story on SalonJudge flags Facebook post claiming inside access to Trump verdict
Click to see story on BBC NewsTrump judge alerts lawyers to Facebook post claiming guilty verdict was coming
Click to see story on The IndependentJudge in trump case notifies lawyers about social media post claiming knowledge of jury verdict
Click to see story on USA TodayDonald Trump’s hush money trial judge flags a Facebook post alleging juror predicted guilty verdict before sentencing
Click to see story on Hindustan TimesJudge in Trump hush money trial flags Facebook post claiming juror spoke about case
Click to see story on abc NewsJudge who oversaw Trump hush money trial flags post on the court’s webpage claiming to know the verdict before it came down
Click to see story on CNNFacebook post draws attention of judge in Trump’s New York case
Click to see story on The Washington PostTrump’s hush-money judge alerted lawyers about a Facebook comment claiming Trump would be convicted 24 hours before it happened. The commenter describes himself as a ‘professional s—poster.’
Click to see story on Business InsiderJudge in Trump’s hush money case raises questions about social media post appearing to preview jury verdict
Click to see story on NBC NewsJudge in Trump’s hush money trial flags Facebook post that claimed insight into jury deliberations
Click to see story on PoliticoJudge who oversaw Trump hush money trial flags post on the court’s webpage claiming to know the verdict before it came down
Click to see story on KRDOJudge who oversaw Trump hush money trial flags post on the court’s webpage claiming to know the verdict before it came down
Click to see story on KIFITrump hush money judge flags Facebook user claiming early knowledge of verdict
Click to see story on The HillTrump Lawyer Notified About Concerning Facebook Post That Claimed Prior Knowledge Of Hush-Money Verdict
Click to see story on BenzingaJudge in Trump hush money trial flags post claiming to preview guilty verdict
Click to see story on UPIJudge alerts Trump lawyers to Facebook comment on conviction from ‘juror’s cousin’
Click to see story on The Center SquareHush money judge alerts Trump lawyer, prosecutors to Facebook post claiming prior knowledge of jury’s verdict
Click to see story on New York PostJudge alerts prosecutors and Trump to juror’s claimed ‘cousin’ who posted verdict
Click to see story on Washington ExaminerTrump judge flags Facebook post suggesting possible mistrial
Click to see story on Russia Today [🇷🇺-affiliated]Judge alerts Trump lawyers to Facebook comment on conviction from ‘juror’s cousin’
Click to see story on The Daily HeraldJudge Merchan Flags Online Post Claiming Inappropriate Jury Discussion of Trump Hush-Money Trial
Click to see story on National ReviewJudge Merchan says Facebook commenter posted, ‘My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted’
Click to see story on The BlazeSuspicious Facebook Comment Roils Trump Hush-Money Case
Click to see story on The New York SunSocial media post claims Trump juror discussed guilty verdict before it was delivered
Click to see story on Fox NewsJudge Merchan Notifies Trump Attorneys, Prosecution of Social Media Post Giving Away Jury Verdict
Click to see story on BreitbartRight
Untracked Bias
New York Judge in Trump Trial Notifies Defense Juror Discussed Guilty Verdict With Family Ahead of Time – Space Coast Daily
Click to see story on Space Coast DailyHush Money Judge In Trump Trial Alerts Prosecutors & Trump Lawyer Of Facebook User Revealing Jury’s Verdict – uInterview
Click to see story on uInterviewJudge in the Trump case in New York noted comment on Facebook about leaked verdict – La Opinion
Click to see story on La OpinionJudge Alerts Trump Lawyers and Prosecutors About Leaked Jury Verdict on Social Media
Click to see story on truthvoices.comStraight to your inbox.
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